I broke my rear bumper.
I purchased an adapter to attach a bicycle rack to my rear bumper. The adapter came with a warning “The Bumper Adaptor can be mounted on DOT rated, continuously welded steel bumpers on travel trailers, 5th wheels and motorhomes to create a hitch receiver for bike racks. It is NOT to be used for towing or carrying anything other than bike racks. … “
A quick check of my rear bumper showed it as indeed continually welded. As for the DOT rating, I am sure with the high quality of today’s RVs it meets all DOT requirements (read in heavy sarcasm here).
I took off on a multi-state, multi-stop bicycling tour with three bikes mounted to the bike carrier which was in-turn mounted on the rear bumper via the adapter. Also along was a 2007 Fit mounted to the tow-bar. About halfway into my return there was a noise, a really strange noise. Upon stopping I found that the bumper had partially torn away from the welded on ‘L’ brackets due to high-cycle fatigue and was resting on the tow bar. Actually, I had been observing the bikes vibrating on the carrier for some time and was getting really concerned.
This was not the fault of the adapter. It is the fault of the ultra-thin bumper on my RV, the extremely rough roads in Oklahoma and the fact I loaded three heavy bikes on this vibrating assembly and did nothing to stabilize it.
I checked and got prices around $350.00+ to get a new bumper - painted and mounted. Since I would end up with another ultra-thin bumper, and since I did not want to pay $350 + and wait weeks if not months to get the job poorly done, I decided to do it myself.
I found Mark Lyons of Metals Supermarkets at their Stafford, Texas location. Mark is an expert in all things metal and in dealing with retired computer engineers who really don’t know what they want. Mark fixed me up with a Hot Rolled Square Tube 4in X 4in x 0.188 (twice the thickness of the old bumper) for about $75.
Metals Supermarkets
75 locations across the US - Online sales too!
https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/
Mark Lyons (832) 939-4600
I have no affiliation with Metals Supermarkets
Next I found Travis Horton with Ober and Sons Welding in Alief, Texas. They will do small jobs and Travis is an expert in getting things done. However, he gets really, really busy. Keep after him and you will be happy. They charged me $75 to cut off the old brackets and weld them to my new bumper.
OBER & SONS, Inc.
7755 Synott Road
Houston, TX 77083
281-944-8289
obers@wt.net
Ober and Sons
I have no affiliation with Ober and Sons
Three rattle-cans of primer and paint later and I was bolting on my new, heavy-duty bumper.
Home Depot - Paint
I have no affiliation with rattle cans.
My only regret is I didn’t get it power coated. I wonder if they would have charged me $75.00 ?
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